Wireless communication systems transfer data packets between User Equipment (UE) to provide data communication services, like internet access, media streaming, and user messaging. Wireless communication on systems allow users to move about and communicate over the air with access communication. Communication services include voice call, data exchange, web pages, streaming media, or text messages, among other communication services.
To expand or enhance the wireless signal coverage of a wireless communication network, such as in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication system, repeaters may be added to locations not adequately covered by current network infrastructure. A repeater transmits and receives wireless signals exchanged between wireless devices and a wireless network access point. Without the signal repetition provided by the wireless repeater, the coverage area of the wireless network access point may otherwise have not extended far enough to serve the wireless devices using the repeater. Thus, a wireless repeater provides a less resource intensive means for increasing wireless network coverage.
Location controllers provide location assistance data for UE. For example, when a wireless communication network receives a priority communication from a mobile device, such as an Emergency 911 (E911) call, the wireless communication network typically directs the priority communication to a communication server system to determine an appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). A PSAP is a communication center used to answer incoming emergency calls, text messages, or other types of priority communications from mobile devices. In other examples, the wireless communication network may receive a location request for a UE. Location services for the UE and determination of an appropriate PSAP may be determined based on a donor base station identifier, such as a Pseudorandom Noise (PN) code, serving the mobile device. The UE location may be determined by querying a Position Determination Entity (PDE) or an enhanced Service Mobility Location Center (eSMLC) which associate donor base station identifiers with a donor base station latitude and longitude.
Once the connectivity between the UE and the location controller has been established, the location controller may then obtain additional location data to determine an initial position estimation of the mobile device, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) data. This initial position estimation of the mobile device may be calculated using the location of the donor base station and time delay values reported by the mobile device. The location controller may then use this calculated location approximation to generate GPS assistance data for the mobile device which is then transferred to the mobile device. The mobile device then typically responds to the GPS assistance data with a GPS measurement report from the mobile device.
If the GPS measurement report indicates a successful GPS estimation for the mobile device based on the GPS assistance data, the location controller derives a final fixed location estimation of the device. In other situations, the GPS measurement report may indicate that the initial position estimation for the mobile device was not successful in which case the GPS assistance data generated by the location controller is too inaccurate to enable the mobile device to rapidly locate the GPS satellites.
While location controllers are typically able to determine an accurate initial position estimation of the mobile device based on the donor base station location information associated with the donor base station identifier and the time delays reported by the mobile device, the initial position estimation of the mobile device may be improper when the mobile device is attached to a non-donor base station, such as a repeater attached to the donor base station. Since the time delays reported by the mobile device are impacted by being routed along a repeater chain, the location controller typically does not have accurate enough data to determine an initial position estimation of the mobile device. This results in the mobile device not being able to locate the appropriate satellites within a set time period. Unfortunately, current methods of determining accurate mobile device positions when the GPS assistant data fails are neither efficient nor effective for determining accurate location information for mobile devices using repeaters.